


The Road Less Traveled

by Anonymous



Category: Day6 (Band), GOT7, Monsta X (Band), Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, F/M, M/M, No Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2020-04-12 13:13:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19132738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Everyone has something they're running from, whether it be family, the law, love, or themselves. Sometimes you end up somewhere you never expected, and sometimes you end up right where you started. Every path will lead you somewhere.





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi this is my new au. Cross posted on my Instagram @jjprotect94 . Follow me for spoilers and edits that go along with the story!!

Like all good stories, this one begins with a murder, though not of the flesh, rather of pride. A clash of culture and morals and wit that leaves one party humiliated and the other with a new set of hands for all his endeavors. Changkyun had been stealing since he was old enough to stand on his own two feet, taken in by the underground thieves guild when he was old enough to know not to cry. He was a child with the glint of devilishness in his eyes, slipping in and out of the shadows of Bolfeuer's Capital City as he snatched unprotected coin purses and loose food items. The streets had been filled with merchants, with travelers, with rats. The cobble pathways that twisted up and around and in between buildings were caked with dirt and grime from a city of thievery and deceit, smog choking the air and the sky remained a hazy grey.

Changkyun has been born and raised in Bolfeuer, even if he didn't know who his parents were. It was unimportant to the residents of the bustling town of Flamme; even babies could be sold for a decent coin with little to no heartbreak. Changkyun had learned Flamme's inner workings, memorized every alleyway and crevice by time he was six years old. The man he called his father, the one who made the risky decision of purchasing Changkyun, had always been proud of his progress. Changkyun took to thievery like a fish to water, even if guilt churned his stomach every time he slipped away with someone else's belongings.

He left the city behind him when he became of age, old enough to pass as an adult, old enough to stab his father in the side. He was gone, hidden in a passing merchant's cart, before anyone could notice his absence. He's traveled along for half a day now, slowly watching the sun rise and settle in the heart of the sky. It's a clear day with no clouds, though wisps of grey trail out from the city. The ground hums with a scorched heat, and Changkyun can hear the merchant cursing at Bolfeuer's unimaginable warmth. He must not be from this country. Changkyun is used to the withered grass, the ground hot enough only a fool would dare walk upon without protection, the suffocating air that burns the lungs with every inhale. 

The citizens, natural born or immigrated, are adapted to such harsh climate, body temperatures a touch higher than others. They believe the fire god, Smolgi, gives them protection from the environment. Changkyun situated himself deeper between crates of apples as the cart came to a rolling stop. The shadow created from the covered top helped him blend in, hair and clothes black to hide. The merchant had been traveling along the main travel route, heading towards the northwest. Assuming their current destination was Jierde, the lush forest nation, they should be arriving in the next few days. There was about 200 kilometers from Flamme to the border of the two nations following this path, and Changkyun was prepared to abandon the merchant once they reached. 

The merchant spoke in a light and friendly voice to his horses pulling the carriage of goods, allowing them to roam a little ways away to rest before they resumed their journey. They still had half a days travel before they would be stopping, but due to the sun season's second phase, the horses' energy was being used up more than necessary. On a normal day, in one of the other countries, he could travel upwards of 100 kilometers. As it stood he could manage seventy-five. Changkyun waited, patiently, and soon enough they were back on the road, the rhythmic clopping of hooves and the grit of gravel under wheels lulling him into a light sleep. Two days of travel passed much the same this way. Changkyun alternated between snacking from the fruit crates around him and napping, unbothered by the cramping in his legs from his crouched position. As soon as they stopped just within the border of Jierde, however, he was ready to leave. 

 

With the merchant distracted tending to his horses, Changkyun slithered out from between the crates, crouched low in the center of the carriage. It was a wide opening, enough for a man to walk down the rows of crates, and left a window to see out the back from the front. Changkyun took calculated steps towards the back of the carriage, light and quiet to avoid rocking. He pressed himself to the side of the carriage, peaking his head around to survey the surroundings once more. The grass here was plush and vibrant, swaying gently on the breeze. The trees were full of leaves, thick and sturdy unlike the brittle, wilting things in Bolfeuer. Changkyun hopped over the raised edge of the carriage, landing in a crouch without much more than a puff of dirt. The air here was fresher as well, easier to breathe and cooler. Jierde was a land brimming with life, under the protection of the nature spirit Y'Grasil. 

"Leaving so soon?" A voice sounded beside Changkyun, just as he stood up, brushing himself off. He jumps back startled, dagger drawn and stance lowered. The merchant frowns at him unbothered, leaning against the carriage and crossing his arms over his chest like he was about to scold a child. "You eat my wares, stow away on my cart, and now you pull a knife on me?" He clicks his tongue, though it doesn't sound chastising, only amused.

"You knew I was there?" His voice is scratchy from disuse, eyes darting around like a caged animal looking for the best escape route. The trees lining the path are tall and dense, leaving high chance of him getting lost if he were to lose sight of the road in his haste to flee. The merchant only laughs, kicking off the cart to step closer towards him, hands held up to show he's unarmed, but the smile on his face betrays his unseriousness to the situation.

"I can feel when my cart drags to one side. Also you snore." The merchant's voice is teasing, playful. Changkyun was a thief, a con artist. He was used to slipping away undetected, holding an air of nonchalance, not being in someone's direct line of sight. He took a step back, the toe of his shoe barely grazing the grass, but that seemed to be enough. Before he could move another muscle, the long grass wrapped around his ankle, his calf, pulling him down. Vines whipped out to snag his hands, forcing the dagger to fall harmlessly to the side. 

Forced to kneel, Changkyun struggled and pulled at his bindings, thrashing his body to loosen their hold. The vines, seemingly displeased with his display of defiance, looped around his neck from the front and pulled him down, forcing his face into the dirt. The merchant kneeled beside his sputtering captive, patting him on the back in condolence. He picks up the discarded knife with fake interest, testing the blade against the tip of his finger. It was a nice quality metal, forged by a professional in the craft, sharp. It could sell for a pretty penny. Changkyun forces his head up, jaw clenched from the strain. The vines tighten around him, snaking around his back, his legs, his head. He's almost suffocated under the pressure, but he sneers at the merchant all the same.

"How skilled are you with a knife?" The merchant asks, not sparing Changkyun a glance but cutting the vine that slapped around the man's mouth.

"Good enough to kill you and make it look like an accident." He spat in return, his head hitting back against the ground. The merchant laughed at his expense, standing and brushing off the invisible dirt from his trousers. 

"Pledge me your loyalty and I'll call them off, otherwise you're as good as fertilizer." Changkyun remains stubbornly silent, jaw set and eyes staring straight ahead. He had just left working for others behind, has finally gotten a taste of freedom. "I'm sure the nature spirit will be pleased with your flavor." The merchant continued, stepping back to round up his horses again. The vines around Changkyun squeezed tighter, forcing him further against the ground as if to swallow him whole. He gasped for breath, squirming underneath his binds, fingers numb where they were pinned against his back. He could feel his feet beginning to sink into the ground, the soil softening under him to accommodate. 

"Alright!" He screams with as much force as he can, having sunk up to his knees in the soil. His heart is beating wildly in his chest, forehead beaded with sweat. The merchant doesn't seem to hear him, climbing up onto the front of the carriage. "I give you my life, or whatever! Just let me go!" Changkyun thrashes violently, voice cracking with panicked breaths. His torso is slowly sinking into the dirt, his chin held up. In a matter of seconds everything stills, and he's being pushed back to the surface, spat out. The vines retreat, slithering out of sight with noticeable reluctance. Changkyun pants for air, dragging himself onto the dirt road. His thin clothing is wet with mud and clinging to his skin as a heavy reminder. He refuses to look up even when his dagger is tossed in front of him, the merchant's chipper voice grating against his ears.

"Welcome aboard. I'm Minhyuk, a traveling merchant," He rocks back on his heels, smile broad and maybe a bit too gleeful with his new help. "And unluckily for you, the lover of the druid of these woods."


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minhyuk and Jooheon's first meeting. Minhyuk takes Changkyun home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friends hate me for leaving this for 12 weeks but life happens I'm sorry

The world was divided in ancient times amongst the four cardinal gods: Y'Grasil, Smolgi, Jypsy, and Boreang. Boreang, the god of the skies, took the land to the north. Smolgi, the god of flame, the south. Jypsy, the god of the sea, the east, and Y’Grasil, god of the earth, the west. They had squabbled for land, pushing their borders until nothing remained but an equal division. The four blessed nations of Sumluft, Bulfeuer, Vodmul, and Jierde are under the protection of their respective gods, and those with royal blood are granted the ability of elemental manipulation, though only a few actually master the complex art. The teachings provided by the gods had been passed down between generations, diluted by word of mouth and the evolution of written language. 

Minhyuk was a human. He had no blessings from the gods, no affinity for the earth or special abilities. His nation, Jierde, was rich in flora and medicinal herbs due to Y’Grasil’s blessing. Most of the land was covered in a dense forest, a home for the god and protection for those that lived there. Minhyuk lived in their capital city Flaum, a hub for trade and tourism. The streets were lined with witches stalls and shops, boasting the strongest medicinal herbs and potions to solve all of life’s problems. His family helped make these claims mobile, to take their goods to the other three nations, though he himself had never left the city. He mostly worked with his mother in their shop, the warehouse set in the heart of the city where they displayed local and foreign goods. All of Minhyuk’s life he had stocked shelves and taken inventory while his father made the days long trips to their neighbors. 

At age twenty, however, he was sent out to deliver goods to the nation of Vodmul, the eastern most land. To travel there, he would have to make it across Y’Gasil’s forest, the tall trees and narrow pathways difficult for even seasoned travelers to pass through. He was nowhere near qualified, having never seen the forest, but his parents sent him on his way with a single map and his horse. It was inevitable, truly, that he would get lost along the way. The dirt path out of the city had narrowed until there was only room for one person to walk along, the trees collecting closer together until Minhyuk was walking under a thick canopy of leaves, almost all light obstructed. One path became two, became three, and the young merchant found himself wandering in circles for hours, the setting sun only making it harder for him to read the map and find the road.

 

“This is bullshit,” Minhyuk mumbled to himself as he paused at another fork in the road, one that wasn't documented anywhere on his map. He felt like the forest was playing games with him, leading him in circles and closing up paths behind him. The sun now was on its last breath, the deep oranges of the sky barely seen through the trees. Exhausted and irritated, Minhyuk led his horse off the path towards the tree line, ready to settle down against the trunks and take a well deserved rest. He tied the reigns to one of the lower branches of a tree so she wouldn’t wander off with the goods he was supposed to have delivered by the next day and sat himself down in the grass, back against the tree. The forest, which had been alive with the sound of bugs and birds and small critters, seemed to become silent when the sun began to set, the never ending chatter ceasing almost instantly. 

 

“Lost?” A voice asked, echoing around the trees. It seemed almost pleased, amused with Minhyuk’s predicament. The merchant looked around for the source of the voice, worried he may be hallucinating. He didn’t think he breathed in any toxic fumes in the forest, but maybe one of the vials he was carrying had burst in the carrying pouch on the back of the horse. Of course he would accidentally get high and hallucinate in the forest the first time he’s let out of the house. Minhyuk rubbed over his face with his hands, hoping to bring his senses back to normal. He didn't want to think about the voices or the way the flowers around him seemed to turn towards him, almost as if they were conscious of his presence in the grass.

“You’re definitely lost,” The voice speaks to him again with a laugh, sounding much closer this time. Minhyuk looks up just in time to see a man drop down from the tree to his left, hanging upside down on the lowest branch. He has twigs and leaves sticking out from his hair and dirt smudged across his cheeks. He was still laughing when he finally made it to the ground and saw Minhyuk’s disbelief up close. Minhyuk thinks the man looks like of wild with his wide smile and crinkly eyes and shoeless feet. 

Minhyuk must be hallucinating, but the way the man is squishing his face between his hands when he kneels next to him feels all too real.

 

“Um― Excuse me―” Minhyuk can only stare at him, his voice muffled and awkward with his lips being forcefully puckered until the man is moving on to another part of his face. The flowers are now pushing into his legs, curling up along his side. That also isn't normal. Minhyuk’s beginning to think this is a hyper real dream instead. The tree man only continues to smile as he sits back on his heels, letting his hands rest on his bent legs and not on MInhyuk’s face.

“I’ve never seen a human before,” He tells Minhyuk, the excitement of a child making a new friend sparkling in his eyes. “I’m Jooheon, a Druid.” A _ Druid _ . The keepers of Y’Grasil’s forest. They were said to have gone extinct a millennia ago when Bulfeuer attempted to burn down the forest. Jooheon doesn't seem to be extinct though, and fairly young too. Minhyuk is staring still, thoughts sluggish with processing the new information. 

 

“I’m Minhyuk,” He eventually says in return, watching as Jooheon only brightens more, flowers blooming all around him. “I’m a merchant.”

 

Minhyuk had met Jooheon nearly twenty years ago now. He tells Changkyun all about it while they travel back to Flaum, the thief nearly falling out of the wagen as he slumps over with a groan, complaining about how mushy and boring Minhyuk’s stories are. He’s not interested in the love stories of old men, and tells Minhyuk as much.

 

“You’ve just never met the love of your life.” Changkyun wants to point out that you don’t have much time to find love when you’re running away from street vendors and angry travelers you’ve stolen from, but he keeps that sentiment to himself. The trees eventually thin out as they reach the main path into the city, the streets bustling and loud at midday. Changkyun wants to shy away and hide from the people moving about, a reflex he can’t easily suppress since he just left his thieving life behind a day or so ago. Minhyuk leads the horse and carriage through town on foot, leaving Changkyun awkwardly sitting by himself on the high seat, trying to make himself as small and invisible as possible. Some people don’t spare him a glance, but others stare, taking in his dark clothes and posture. 

Minhyuk has no problem being surrounded by so many people, happily greeting familiar faces and even strangers. Changkyun thinks he almost looks like a celebrity. He knows how popular merchants can be, though he always thought their friendly smiles and words to be shallow and a mask for their greed. Minhyuk, and Jierde, seemed to be different. He could understand why so many people would want to move here.

It was only a handful of minutes before they reached the warehouse, Minhyuk leading the cart around back and handing the horse off to one of the workers there. He walked into the warehouse with Changkyun following behind him, hot on his heels and trying to hide within his shadow. The warehouse was set up with shelves almost up to the ceiling, filled with goods Changkyun couldn’t even begin to identify. The rows of displays seemed to have no rhyme or reason to their set up, placed haphazardly around the large space in a maze that Minhyuk navigated expertly. 

“Mom,” Minhyuk called when he poked his head out the door leading to the front of the shop, the woman seated behind a register. The storefront was set up much more user friendly, with the shelves within reach and the goods organized and labeled clearly. Changkyun peeked around Minhyuk’s shoulder at his mother, a small woman with grey hair and laugh lines on her aging face.

 “I brought home a thief!” Minhyuk beamed at his mother, and Changkyun wished he could have suffocated back in the woods.


	3. Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jooheon comes to be! Also introducing the rest of the cast of part 1, and a character that won't come in until the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My bad,,,, this was a long time coming I hope you can forgive me

Jooheon was born under a pile of ash. He was just a sapling, reliant on Y'Grasil for protection and nourishment, roots barely taken to the soil. While in his infancy, the forest was burning, the trees lit up with flames and the sky darkened with black smoke. He could hear the screams of the forest dwellers, the nymphs and druids and fairies that fought against the hell fire. It began on the outskirts of the forest as most fires do, just one smoldering touch to set the thicket on fire and the rest would follow suit, enough fuel to last the fire a lifetime with the thick entwine of trees and the abundance of foliage. Jooheon couldn't do anything about it, as the forest slowly burned towards the center, wasting away centuries of care by the god and the inhabitants. 

The fire never reached the center of the forest, never touched the inner circle of thick trees that surrounded Y'Grasil in the middle. It burned for three days and three nights, but by the morning of the fourth day the flames had all but disappeared. No one is sure why; perhaps Smolgi had taken the fire back, or the druids had—unlikely—managed to smother out the flames themselves. Some believe Jypsy, the water god, had stepped in to provide aid, but none of the speculation really mattered when ash fell like snow in July, covering the head of a newly awakened druid boy as he sat against the tallest tree in the forest, no longer one himself. 

Jooheon had learned quickly, as one connected to nature does, what his purpose in life was. He was a protector to the god of the forest as well as the forest itself. He was responsible for rebuilding what had been lost and maintaining what had always been. At a young age, it was a daunting task as he could barely manage to make flowers sprout out of the ground let alone whole tree saplings. He was young and inexperienced, the only teacher he had being a dusty old tree that couldn't speak out loud. He didn't need to speak, Jooheon knew what he was saying through the swat of branches and gentle vines guiding his hands.

Jooheon had learned about magic first hand from experience rather than words. Wherever his hand touched, grass sprouted. If he left his mind to wander, the flower he was growing could reach unnatural sizes. It was a lot of trial and error, complaining to the god on days when it was just too hard to handle. Y'Grasil spent years upon years teaching the druid where those of his kind would have, it was almost like starting from scratch, but he had a little more experience this go around. The god decided then that he needed someone that could protect the forest alongside the druid, maybe a companion more than another worker. Jooheon likes to believe that he gave Y'Grasil the idea of a son in the first place, the son that would be Jooheon's only companion for many, many years before his banishment. Jooheon still misses him sometimes.

Y'Grasil's son could grow an entire meadow in his sleep from the first day Jooheon had seen him fall from the tree. He was younger than him, smaller and more mischievous too. The druid would be forced to listen to the god complain for hours about what kind of shenanigans his son got up to, like introducing a species of plants not native to the forest that could tip the balance—which Jooheon had to go clean up—or the pranks he would pull on the remaining nymphs and fairies—Jooheon also had to apologize for that too. The young nature god had an attitude that left much to be desired, but he was also a great aid to the continued recovery of the forest. He could rebuild acres in an afternoon and he cared, deeply, about how the forest was developing. He probably had a deeper understanding of it than Jooheon did, but the god was bored. For those with outstanding abilities, simplicity is never enough.

Although he was alone, the druid did not grow up entirely in isolation. As he was connected to the forest, he felt every disturbance, every change in the day to day happenings, every time someone came and gone. It made it easy to find lost merchants or thieves, travelers and creatures moving back into the forest after seeking refuge elsewhere from the fires. Jooheon had met many colorful characters during his youth: a dragon from the north, a mage from the blazing south, a weary knight from the west, and even a prince. The dragon was probably Jooheon's favorite story to tell, when he had landed right in front of Y'Grasil, almost tumbling through the sky in haste to fit between the trees, shrinking in on himself until a man was left behind. Jooheon had just been showing off the new kinds of plants he had learned to grow, sufficiently silenced with a ring of now wilted flowers around him. The dragon had been seeking refuge. 

The mage was another exciting story, one full of betrayal and death and all the hearty adventures one wants to hear from a stranger who looks like they'd been dragged through hell. He was the kind of person to hold himself with esteem, and could have possibly caused another calamity like the flame prior. Jooheon can't remember what he had come for, perhaps just passing through, or making his presence to the god known as he now declared citizenship to the land. Though these days he's mostly enthralled with a merchant and a thief, the kind of folk that saunder through the forest every fortnight to make deliveries. Modern life left the druid with a flourishing forest and thriving communities of mythical creatures, a lover he can't visit, and a friend he tried to murder before even properly meeting. 

Jooheon can't say he's unhappy living in the forest, but he wishes he could leave and explore the world instead of hearing about it from lost strangers that think they're hallucinating his existence. He shouldn't want to leave either. As a druid he's drawn to nature, at home amongst the trees and rivers. Civilization wouldn't suit him, supposedly, but he would like to try, even if he could no longer use most of his abilities. He's stuck until the god's son's return and perhaps even beyond that. As the last druid he has to protect the forest and all those that reside in it, casting aside personal desires he shouldn't even have, but maybe he would like to do something new, have a change of scenery, and explore the world beyond being a glorified gardener. 

**Author's Note:**

> Lemme know what y'all think. There will be one chapter per week!


End file.
